With just nine weeks left until President-elect Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, there are several processes underway. For one, stemming from Trump’s past run-ins with the law, Americans can expect to hear updates in the four criminal indictments that Trump still faces, adding onto the 34 charges that he was found guilty of this past May.
In July, The United States Supreme Court released a decision on Trump v. United States (2024) asserting that Trump could not be tried for “official acts” of the presidency. This decision leaves many current charges in limbo, with the world wondering what legal news will be heard next.
On top of these charges, the next nine weeks should bring about plans for a transition of power between the Biden-Harris Administration and the new Trump-Vance Administration, however, internal reports show that Trump’s team is very behind on these projections.
New administrations are required by law to submit Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) to map out power transitions in relation to the public bureaucracy and different areas of government. With the sixty-day mark quickly approaching, a transition of power has yet to be publicly defined.
This follows the disputed transition of power in 2020 from the Trump-Pence administration to the Biden-Harris administration, notably including the Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill. Aspects of these MOUs were expected in October, prior to the Nov. 5 Presidential Election, with expectations that both the Harris and Trump campaigns would submit plans detailing their access to agencies, personnel, facilities and other important documents.
Other expectations leading up to Inauguration Day include the nomination of Trump’s cabinet members and other prominent government positions. Of these nominations include Republican Florida Sen. Mark Rubio, a top contender against J.D Vance for the Vice Presidential nomination back in June, to serve as Trump’s Secretary of State.
Moreover, Trump has nominated Matt Gaetz, former U.S. Representative from Florida, as his Attorney General. Geatz resigned from Congress following an investigation from the House Ethics Committee for allegations including the illicit use of drugs, sexual abuse of minors and accepting improper gifts. This investigation ceased upon his resignation, however public officials have called for the House Ethics Committee to still release their findings for public view.
As nominations continue to be revealed, Americans can expect more information on Trump’s “Day 1” plan, including mass deportation of immigrants, shutting down several of the Biden administration’s initiatives and reshaping the current federal government, potentially firing thousands of federal employees that Trump has claimed to be working “against him.”
This promise of mass deportation comes as Trump nominated Tom Homan, a Republican former police officer and immigration official, to be Trump’s new “Border Czar,” tasked with carrying out what is expected to be the largest deportation operation in American history. Homan is known for his “zero tolerance” policy on immigration, contributing to Trump’s first administration and the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump’s early plans also include pardoning the Jan. 6 insurrectionists and pulling the United States out of the 2015 Paris Agreement again. This new administration will bring about a flood of change to the nation, potentially reshaping American democracy as we know it.
sglisson@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @whitehouse, X
